A minimum income standard based on what people said is needed to
achieve an acceptable standard of living in Britain today.
While politicians from all parties are committed to tackling relative poverty, the
debates lack a robust defi nition of a minimum income standard (MIS), below
which people’s incomes should not fall. This study devised a minimum income
standard for Britain based on what members of the public said, and shows the
cost of covering basic goods and services for different household types.
The project blends the best elements of the two main methods that have been
used to develop budget standards in Britain in recent years. It reconciles the
views of experts with those of ordinary people, allowing budgets based on social
consensus to be tested against expert knowledge and research. As such, the
MIS represents a new and important tool for informing social policy in order to
promote fairness and well-being in Britain.

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This report is also available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2226-income-poverty-standards.pdf